"It had been a while since I have been in a groove so it felt really good on Saturday to see the ball in my hands and be able to do something with it," said Clark, who led the Aggies in receptions in 2016 and was third last year with 47 receptions.

Clark and the rest of the Aggies offense hopes to continue to improve after exploding in a 49-41 victory over Liberty. NM State plays at Louisiana on Saturday.

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Las Cruces Sun-News

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NM State quarterback Josh Adkins on Louisiana
Las Cruces Sun-News

But Clark wasn't the only Aggies receiver to break loose. After a slow start to the season for what was an experienced group of receivers, 10 receivers caught passes from quarterback Josh Adkins during the Aggies' 49-41 victory over Liberty.

"I couldn't believe it, I just kept seeing OJ open and wondered when are these guys going to learn," Adkins said. "I get the ball to him and he makes people miss. I think off of the receivers played with a bunch of confidence."

Clark was continually open in the flat on bubble screens and out routes, plays that had not been open for much of the season.

Prior to Saturday, Clark had 15 receptions for 66 yards. He now leads the team with 25 catches on the season.

"It felt like we got back to our old selves, making plays and having fun," said Clark, who nearly matched his season total with a 40-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. "Our quarterback held us to a high standard and we hold him to a high standard."

When the Liberty defense finally paid attention to Clark, they bit hard to cover Clark and forgot to cover junior Drew Dan. Dan was wide open down the field for the easiest 22-yard touchdown pass he will ever have.

Dan had four receptions for 75 yards against Liberty.

"It was a pretty big game for us," said Dan, who has 17 receptions for 258 yards with two touchdowns this season. "We got back to our old ways and finding a rhythm that we had and were missing at the beginning of the season. It came from being physical in practice."

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NMSU wide receiver OJ Clark had a career high 10 receptions for 145 yards last week against Liberty.(Photo11: Robin Zielinski / Sun-News)

As the Aggies work to replace Jaleel Scott as a go-to target on the outside, Dan is one of six receivers with at least 13 receptions on the season.

"We have playmakers all through the offense," Dan said. "It's just getting them in the right places and the right plays."

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.